IMS develops system for remote automation of organic synthesis

A research group from the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), consisting of Associate Professor Norie Momiyama, Assistant Professor Naoya Ohtsuka, and Team Leader Toshiyasu Suzuki, has become the first in the world to build an automated organic synthesis system that combines multi-step process integration with remote operation. This system allows researchers to run experiments remotely and make follow-up decisions based on the results, without needing to be present in the laboratory at all times. It is a significant step toward creating a research environment in which "anyone, anywhere can make molecules," and offers a new direction for organic synthesis research itself.

The automation of organic synthesis has been advancing since around 2000, in the form of robotic synthesis and microsynthesis. The underlying goals go beyond mere efficiency gains: they are to explore reaction conditions and synthetic pathways that humans tend to overlook, increase opportunities for molecular discovery, and accelerate research.

However, because organic synthesis involves a wide variety of reaction types and procedures, automating the entire process with a single general-purpose system has not been easy. The number of automation systems that can be practically deployed in actual laboratory settings has remained limited. As a result, automation has yet to function fully as a true "tool for accelerating discovery."

While advances in AI and machine learning are making the design and analysis of organic synthesis increasingly sophisticated, the experiments themselves still rely heavily on manual work by researchers, and constraints of time and place have continued to limit opportunities for exploring reactions, examining conditions, and pursuing molecular synthesis. To develop automation that leverages the accumulated experimental knowledge of organic chemists while expanding opportunities for discovery and accelerating research, it is necessary to build an automation platform that links multiple steps in a form suited to real laboratory settings and that also supports remote operation.

The research group developed a batch-type automated organic synthesis system capable of carrying out a diverse range of organic synthesis processes in an integrated manner, including synthesis of organic molecules, post-reaction workup, analysis and identification of products, and isolation and purification.

The system uses a medium-throughput design capable of running multiple reactions in parallel, with individual control over reaction conditions and reaction times. By integrating with analytical and purification instruments, it can also manage the multiple steps involved in an organic synthesis experiment as a continuous workflow.

Furthermore, with remote operation capability, researchers can execute and control experiments from locations away from the laboratory, monitor progress, and make the next experimental decision based on the understanding of the progress status and the results obtained. This transforms organic synthesis experiments from "hands-on, on-site operations" into "research focused on design and judgment."

The automated organic synthesis platform that the researchers have built can link the diverse processes of organic synthesis and carry out experiments while incorporating researchers' judgment at each stage. Going forward, the introduction of physical AI and mobile robots is expected to further advance the automation and autonomization of individual steps, while expanded integration between instruments will enable the system to be applied to a broader range of synthesis processes.

Momiyama commented: "The biggest challenge was standardization—since equipment from different manufacturers uses different specifications, we had to work on making them all controllable in a unified, automated way. The synthesis portion alone is registered with ARIM (Advanced Research Infrastructure for Materials and Nanotechnology), so researchers can visit to see and use it." Collaborating researchers are already making use of the system.